Surprise... so I thought what the hell, why not post a second chapter for the day. And here it is. Enjoy!
Chapter 13.
Joey and Lauren spent the day exactly as they'd planned; doing very little. They did de-camp to the lounge, watching more of Joey's 'classic' DVDs, which to be fair to Joey were more the proper classics than Mighty Ducks had been. They watched like The Shawshank Redemption, Pulp Fiction and The Matrix.
"That Keanu Reeves is super hot in this film..." Lauren told him, smirking when she saw him frown.
"Tease..." he murmured to her.
She gasped, "Are you jealous?"
"Nothing to be jealous of..." he said confidently.
"Oh, I don't know, babe... Keanu would totally be on my list."
"Your list?" he asked her quietly.
"You know... who I would be allowed to sleep with if I happened to bump into them one day..."
"Your list...?" he asked again.
Lauren couldn't help it, she burst into giggles, "You should totally see your face, babe."
Joey stared at her, realising, belatedly, that she had been teasing him all along, "You, Miss Branning are a very bad girl." He said to her in a husky whisper, "And you deserve to be punished."
"Any just how, pray tell Mr Branning, do you propose to do that?"
"I could make you sleep in the spare room tonight..." he said, without thinking about what he was saying.
The smile dropped from her face in an instant, "You said you liked waking up with me in your arms?" she whispered, "You said it was how you wanted to wake up every day..." Tears had flooded her eyes and the previous jokey atmosphere between them was gone. All that remained on Lauren's side was fear and Joey immediately felt bad.
"Lauren, I wasn't being serious. You're right, I don't ever want to sleep alone again. I hadn't realised how good it could feel holding you in my arms." He leant down and kissed her softly, "I was just messing around, babe. I promise."
"Okay." She whispered but Joey wasn't sure she really believed him.
In the last twenty four hours Joey had discovered just how low her self-esteem was. It surprised him because she'd always seemed so confident since he'd met her. She really was an enigma and just when he thought he was getting to understand her and know her, she revealed something more about herself to him. It was like peeling away at an onion, only to find another layer underneath. "I thought maybe we could go out tomorrow." He said, brushing her hair off her face.
"Out?"
"Yeah. Nice as it is to see you wearing my clothes... I think it's time we got you some things of your own."
"I can't go back there, Joe." She said softly, biting her lip.
"That's not what I'm suggesting. I'm saying we get out of Walford, away from here and we'll get you some clothes."
"I don't know if I'm ready, Joe. To leave here, I mean. I like it just being the two of us."
"I do too, babe but you need to get out of this house. And I think some time away from the Square will do you some good. We won't see anyone we know, I promise."
"I can't afford this."
"It's my treat, Lauren."
"Did you win the lottery or something?"
"No but its payday tomorrow and I sold a few things when I moved to Walford so I've got some money saved." He smiled at her, "It does feel a bit like I won the lottery though, if that makes you feel better..." he added before kissing her on the lips.
"I love you, Joe."
"See... feels just like winning the lottery." He said, a wide grin on his face.
*JL*JL*
Joey managed to persuade Lauren to leave the house the next day. He ordered another taxi to take them to a huge new shopping centre that had opened in the summer and as soon as they'd left the square he felt Lauren relax further into his arms. Once they entered the mall, they found a map of the shops. "Where do you want to go, babe?"
"I don't mind."
He could tell she was still reluctant for him to spend money on her. He wanted to stop her thinking that way so he stood up, pulling on her hand and turning her towards him. Both his hands circled her face and he saw her cheeks redden slightly, "Get over the fact I'm spending my money on you. I want to do this, Lauren. I want you to feel at home in my flat. And nice as you look in my tracksuit pants, they kind of swamp you and you need some other clothes. We don't have to buy masses but we can get you a few things so you're comfortable around the house. In the future, maybe we can work out how to get your stuff from your parent's house."
"Okay." She said softly. She turned her head slightly and kissed the inside of one of his hands. "I guess I'd better look at that map again then." She said with a small smile. He released her face and put his arm around her waist, watching as she looked at the list of shops. It took her about five minutes to select a few and he grabbed one of the handheld maps and circled these shops on the map.
*JL*JL*
Two hours later Joey had several bags in his hand, his other still gripping hers. They had just finished some lunch and there was only one shop left to look at and Joey wasn't really sure how he was going to handle being in there. She smiled at him, seeming to know he was a little uncomfortable about their last destination. She tugged on his arm and Joey knew there was no escaping the lingerie shop she was dragging him towards.
Joey really didn't know where to look when he was in there. He hadn't thought it would be much of a problem but unfortunately every time he happened to glance at any item, his mind automatically tried to imagine what Lauren would look like in it. Of course, the few pieces Lauren picked up were even worse but he did mentally take notes of the type of things she liked. Finally, after what felt like forever, but was really only a slightly painful twenty-five minutes, Joey had paid for the items and they were leaving once more.
Soon after they were sitting in a taxi and were on their way back home. "Thanks Joey. It's been a nice few hours away from everything."
"I'm glad you had fun." He said with a smile. His mobile chose that moment to ring and when he glanced at the screen he saw it was Sharon, "Hi Sharon."
"Joey, I'm sorry to do this but would it be possible for you to come into the club for a couple of hours this evening. I've got two off sick and Matt is coming in but he can't get here for the start of the shift."
"Can you give me a minute, Sharon?" He pulled the phone from his ear, "Will you be okay if I have to go to the club for a couple of hours? There are a couple of people off sick and their replacement can't get there till part way through the shift. Sharon wondered if I could help out. I won't be home late, I promise and you can call me if you need anything."
"I'll be fine, Joe. I'm eighteen years old, I'm capable of spending a few hours on my own."
"I just wanted to check, babe." He kissed her softly before returning to his call, "Yeah, Sharon that should be fine. We're on our way home now for the day. What time do you need me there?"
"Five should be fine. Matt should be here by seven, so you'll probably be home by half past."
"Okay, I'll see you then."
*JL*JL*
Once they'd got home from their shopping trip and Joey had helped Lauren put her purchases away, there had been little time for him to do anything apart from shower and get ready for work.
It was now three hours since he'd left the flat and he was walking back there, eager to spend the rest of the night with Lauren. He walked into through the front door and his instincts told him something was wrong instantly. The flat was far too quiet.
He walked into the lounge and found Lauren sitting on the floor, slumped over the table, an almost empty bottle of wine near her along with an empty glass. "Lauren?" he said, moving to her side quickly.
She began to cry as he took her in his arms, lifting her onto his lap and holding her against his chest as the tears overtook her. Each time her body shook against his it was like his heart being torn in two and he wondered what had led to her getting to this point. It was nearly forty minutes before she fell silent but he could still see tears running down her face. "Sorry," she croaked, hiccupping slightly.
"What happened?" he asked her softly.
"The police called..." she murmured.
"What did they want?" he asked tentatively.
"They've arrested three of the guys." She whispered, "And they know who the other two are but they got away from them."
"Babe, you should've called me."
"I can't always rely on you, Joe. I need to be able to stand on my own two feet."
"Not for this, Lauren. Not for this." He told her gently, feeling like he'd let her down by not being here for her.
"I didn't mean to drink..." she whispered. "I was going to call you but I knew Sharon needed you there." She hiccupped again, "I was looking for some chocolate or something I could pig out on and the wine was there. I'd drunk a glass of it before I'd even realised. Once I'd started I couldn't stop. I'm sorry."
"You don't need to apologise, Lauren."
"I do. I've let you down." She hung her head. "I'll understand if you want me to leave."
Joey stared at her in shock. Why would she think such a thing? "You can get that thought out of your head right now, babe. You are going nowhere. I just need you to promise that in future you'll call me before you head for the bottle?" She looked at him and nodded. "Why would you think I'd want you to leave, babe?"
"My parents did. They didn't like me drinking either."
"I don't dislike you drinking. I just don't want you relying on drink when you have a problem. I want you to know you can rely on me. Let me be there for you." He kissed her forehead. "I will be there, I promise." He rocked her in his arms for several minutes, "I need you to know that I'm nothing like your parents, babe. I love you, all of you. The good and the bad – and yes, the drinking is a bad bit but I'm going to help you get control of it, if you want me to."
"I do." She whispered, "I can't keep going like this." Her fingers slipped inside his shirt, brushing across his skin, "I don't want to be a drunk anymore, Joey but I can't do it on my own. I need you to help me," she murmured.
"Always and forever, babe," he said, "I'm proud of you." He lifted her in his arms after a few minutes and moved them to the bedroom, leaving her to change while he went and cleared up the bottle and glass in the lounge.
TBC
A/N: Did I lull you into a false sense of security...? All fluffy and light at the start and then I kicked their feet out from under them at the end. I Know I'm so cruel. Let me know what you thought. See you tomorrow.